Am i entitled to any help?

suekay

Hi, I am 48 years old and currently work as a checkout operator. I have degenerative disc disease in L5-S1, and therefore my mobility is limited and I am in constant physical pain on a daily basis. 
Walking any distance is difficult at the best of times, but especially at work I often just find it painful and exhausting walking from my checkout to the staff canteen at the other end of the store, I also use a stick to aid me walking. So that gives you done idea of my limited mobility. 
What I would like to ask is how do i know if I am entitled to any help or support either physically or in the form of any benefit? Currently I have a blue badge that helps with parking, but I have never asked for any help before and I honestly have no idea where to go and who to ask, even what to ask for.  So any help and advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks Sue x

Mol

Hello Sue you need to apply for living allowance on PIP, Contact the department for work and pensions and they will advice you what you can claim and if you are entitled. Read about PIP on here as there is a lot of help and advice.

Sam_Alumni

Hi @suekay there is a benefits calculator here that you can fill out to see what you could be entitled to.

BenefitsTrainingCo

Hello. I agree with Sam that using the benefits calculator would be an excellent idea, as you would be able to find out a lot of information about benefits in general, and about Personal Independence Payment in particular. There are two components to PIP, one called the Daily Living Component, and one called the Mobility Component. The first is for people who have difficulties with everyday tasks, either on physical or mental health / learning disability grounds, and the other is for people who have difficulty going on journeys or moving around. PIP is an excellent benefit to claim, as it can be paid to people who are in work, and it is not means tested in any way. The fact that you already have a blue badge means that it has been accepted, at least by your local authority, that you have difficulties in walking. However, the test for PIP is quite a bit stricter, and works on a points based system. Do some thorough research before you claim - you can look on the benefits calculator above, and there is also a very good guide on the DWP website: www.gov.uk/pip
If you are on any other benefits, such as housing benefit, then sometimes getting PIP can have a positive knock-on effect - the benefits calculator will have more detail about this.

Good luck!

Jayne